Half of Turkish Cypriot mosques in debt

The head of religious affairs in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Talip Atalay, has said that 80 out of 190 mosques in the country are in debt.

Islamic World

07 Ekim 2013 Pazartesi 17:45

World Bulletin / News Desk

Talip Atalay, the head of the religious affairs ministry in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), has revealed that half of mosques in the country share a total of 7 million Turkish Liras of debt. He has said that he and his team are working on a solution to the problem.

A meeting was planned to take place today afternoon to help the mosques pay their electricity bills. "If there is a political will, it will be solved," he said. Furthermore he said, "politics should stay out of our business."

Responding to accusations in newspapers about his role in the debt crisis, he said "these accusations are ugly and not befitting for publication." He also went on to say that the press is free to approach him with their questions and that he is willing to answer whatever they want to know.